Orange Wine
White grapes, red winemaking — the ancient fourth colour.
Orange wine is white wine made like a red: the juice stays in contact with the grape skins for days, weeks, or even months. This extended maceration extracts tannins, colour, and a complex array of phenolic compounds, producing wines with an amber or orange hue and a texture closer to a light red than a typical white.
The technique is among the oldest in winemaking — Georgian qvevri wines have been made this way for over 8,000 years. In modern winemaking, the style was revived in the 1990s by Italian producers on the Slovenian border (Gravner, Radikon, Princic) and has since spread worldwide.
The skin contact transforms the wine fundamentally. Where a conventional Pinot Grigio is light and neutral, a skin-contact version becomes textured, tannic, and deeply aromatic — with notes of dried apricot, honeycomb, bruised apple, and tea. The tannin structure gives orange wines a food versatility that most whites lack: they can handle dishes normally reserved for reds.
Not all orange wines are equal. Short maceration (3–7 days) produces a subtle, golden wine with gentle texture. Extended maceration (weeks to months) creates the deep amber wines with pronounced tannins and oxidative complexity. The grape variety matters enormously: aromatic varieties like Gewürztraminer and Muscat produce particularly expressive orange wines, while neutral varieties like Trebbiano gain character they otherwise lack.
The vessel also shapes the wine. Georgian qvevri — large clay amphorae buried underground — produce a distinctly earthy, mineral style. Slavonian oak botti give a rounder, more polished result. Stainless steel lets the grape speak clearly. Each combination of grape, maceration time, and vessel creates a different expression, which is why orange wine resists simple description: it is less a single style than a spectrum of textures and flavours united by a shared technique.
Ribolla Gialla · Pinot Grigio · Gewürztraminer · Rkatsiteli · Malvasia · Muscat
Friuli-Venezia Giulia · Brda (Slovenia) · Kakheti (Georgia) · Alsace · Jura · Swartland (South Africa)
Notable Producers
Gravner
Oslavia, Friuli
Radikon
Oslavia, Friuli
Movia
Brda, Slovenia
Intellego
Swartland, South Africa
Serve orange wine at 12–14°C — warmer than a conventional white but cooler than room temperature. Decanting for 30 minutes opens up the aromatics significantly. The tannins benefit from a little air, just like a red.
Orange wine is one of the most versatile food wines. Its tannin structure handles spiced dishes (Moroccan tagine, Indian curry), fermented foods (kimchi, miso), rich cheese, and cured meats. It bridges the gap between white and red wine at the table.
Common Questions
Is orange wine made from oranges?
No. Orange wine is made from white wine grapes. The orange colour comes from extended skin contact during fermentation — the same process that gives red wine its colour from red grape skins. The name refers to the amber-orange hue of the finished wine.
How is orange wine different from rosé?
Rosé is made from red grapes with brief skin contact (hours). Orange wine is made from white grapes with extended skin contact (days to months). They are opposite processes: rosé removes colour quickly from dark grapes; orange wine extracts colour slowly from light grapes.
Does orange wine taste like white wine?
Not really. Orange wine has tannins, deeper colour, and more complex aromatics than conventional white wine. It sits between white and red in terms of body and structure. Expect notes of dried fruit, honey, tea, and nuts rather than the crisp citrus of a typical white.
Explore orange wine and more with your AI sommelier.
Download on the App Store